My room with a view at the Hotel Napoleon

PARIS IS FOR LOVERS, THE HOTEL NAPOLEON A GIFT OF LOVE
Some wedding present! In 1928 when he married, wealthy Russian émigré and hotel owner Alexanae Pavlovitch Kleaguine bestowed upon the love of his life Paris's Hotel Napolean. And yes, as time revealed, that young and very beautiful Parisian art student was indeed the love of his life. The romantic pair married, raised their family and lived out their lives in the hotel’s grand surroundings. To this day the Napolean is a family-run operation.

Paris's famous Eiffel Tower

Looking across the rooftops of Paris through a mist of red geraniums, I was enchanted by the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Nightly, 20,000 flash bulbs decorating Paris’s tallest structure ignite, lighting the darkness with scintillating brilliance.


As I marvelled at the view from the Youssoupov suite I couldn’t help smiling as I thought of Hitler’s soldiers having to climb the equivalent of 81 storys on the Eiffel tower to hoist the swastika after a group of wily Frenchmen had cut the elevator cables. To add insult to injury, no sooner was the huge flag installed than it billowed out and took off in the wind.


Opening the French doors onto the balcony, the warm fragrant scent of the city drifted in. High above the racing traffic on Avenue de Friedland I leaned out and could see the Arc de Triomph close-by, gleaming golden in the night.

More to follow ...

Posted on Friday, 9th September, 2011